The Foretelling: The Great Hunt
by Sambati'on
Summary: the next part of my mock-series. takes place during the Great Hunt, obviously.


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Chapter 1: Never Answer A Call For Help

The Wheel of Time turns and the Ages come and go. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age long past, an Age yet to come, a wind rose on the island of Tar Valon. North and east the wind blew, crossing the border into Sheinar. This caused some problems with a young border patrol recruit, who wondered if the wind was allowed to cross the border without haveing its papers checked. North and west it blew still, pushing the Amyrlin Seat's boat toward Fal Dara. The wind wasn't the beginning. There are no beginnings or endings in the turning of the Wheel. But it was _a_ beginning.

~~~~~~ Perrin's POV ~~~~~~

It felt good to be in the Wolf Dream again, Perrin decided, even though he was being interogated by Ishamael. Rand told him that if he was going to be caught by his friend "Ishi" he was going to chalange him to a game of _sha'rah_, whatever that was. Mat said that _he_ would probably try to dice with him, because, after all he _did_ dice with the Dark One, and didn't lose. Granted, he didn't win, but he didn't die either.   
Perrin didn't have any idea what he would do. He could probably call Hopper or someone to give the Forsaken some corrective surgery in his throat, without the corrective part, but he didn't want the wolves to have the bad aftertaste, even though it would make sense that by now Ishamael was very well done.

So now he was standing face-to-mask with Ba'alzamon, and he had no idea what to do. 

Perrin was sweating. Ishamael had asked a question, and he didn't know how to answer.  
Should he answer yes or no?  
Light, this was hard. Ishamael was tapping his foot impationtly, waiting for an answer.  
Perrin, at the end of his nerves, let out a small whimper. Ishamael asked the question again. "Well, _would_ you like to watch us play _sha'rah_? Hurry up, the game starts soon."   
Perrin's mouth went dry. He reached a decision, and nodded.

~~~~~~ Egwene's POV ~~~~~~

Egwene was idely walking through _Tel'aran'rhiod_, getting back into the feel of things. She was wearing a deep green dress, Gawyn's favorite color, on the off-chance that he will dream himself into the Dream World near where she was. As she was walking around the world, she decided spontaniously that she would go look in at the Stone of Tear, for no other reason than to see _callandor_, before Rand stuck in in the floor.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

_Change._

She was standing in front of _Callandor_. It definatly was _Callandor._ Nothing else was suspended in mid-air, looking like a sword. What was strange was that there was no total silence like there usually was. People talking as if unconcered that they would be overheard. And it went on for some time, which meant that they dreamt themselves in like herself, and didn't just randomly put themselves there.

One of the voices sounded like Rand.

Slowly, Egwene turned around, as if afraid of what she will see. She didn't expect to see Rand playing some board game with a mask-bearing man, with Perrin standing on one side looking terrified. Granted, she didn't expect anything, so she was not as shocked as she would be if she was expecting, for example, Queen Tenobia of Saldaea ballancing a sword on her nose while being taught how to juggle colored balls by Thom, and Lan, wearing a _cadin'sor_, doing backflips for Galad's amusment.

Rand picked up a figure that was standing on a white square, and moved it five squares diagonally. It looked like a man with his eyes covered with cloth, and a hand to his side, with blood dripping out. Then the man with the mask picked up one his his pieces, and moved it seven squares forward, knocking one of Rand's pieces off the board. Perrin was watching the game as if his life depended on it. Rand picked up another piece, and moved it to the left. After he set it down again, he looked up at Egwene. 

"Oh, Egwene." He didn't sound surprised at all. "I was wondering when you would get here." He looked back at the board, where Ishamael was contemplating his next move.  
"I see Mat isn't here, either." She answered, as if meeting one Forsaken was an everyday occurance for her. Ironically, it was.  
"He hasn't fallen asleep yet." Rand said with a suspiciously strait face. Egwene narrowed her eyes, and Rand hid his expression by looking back down. "That maid, apparanly, didn't want to gut him as Perrin predicted." Perrin looked away at this point. Egwene's eyes were so narrowed, that they were in danger of being only one dimention. "He wants to be free before he falls into the clutches of Queen Tylin." Rand added hastily.

Ishamael picked up one of his pieces, and put it on another square triumphantly. Rand looked at the board, and let out a word that would have earned him a braid-tug from Nyneave, and a Look from Cadsuane. The Look Cadsuane can give clearly deserves the capital L. It wasn't that it was a particularly aggresive facial expression, but it made you feel as if you didn't want to be given the Look again, at whatever cost.

"I have won again, Lews Therin." Ishamael said in a stage whisper.

~~~~~~ The Next Morning ~~~~~~

Rand went down to the dungeons with Egwene. She insisted that he come down with her, because it would be unseemly if the Amyrlin Seat went someplace without a retinue. Rand was about to object, by saying that she wasn't the Amyrlin yet, but she gave him a look which clearly said "If-you-don't-come-with-me-this-instant-I'm-going-to-do-something-to-you-so-unpleasant-that-not-even-your-channeling-will-be-able-to-stop-it-I-like-weasels."

Rand shuddered. He _hated_ weasels.

To everyone's surprise but Rand's (and those who shared his Foretelling), Padan Fain showed up in the deepest cell in the dungeons. 

He was arrested for no apparant reason. What happened was that a passing guard on the street whacked Fain upside the head with a cudgel on impulse. This is one of the ways the Pattern heals itself from any _ta'veren_ oriented drastic changes.

As Egwene came into his line of vision, Fain began to cackle madly, as is only appropriate for someone like him. A small chuckle would have Egwene and her retinue on edge. Everyone knew where they stood with a Mad Cackler. It's the Polite Chucklers you have to look out for.

"Soon comes the day all shall be free.  
Even you, and even me.  
Soon comes the day all shall die.  
Surely you, but never I." Fain sang. Rand stiffened when he heard Fain sing. It could have been the words, but Rand was sure it was the horrible sound of Fain's voice. Like the sound of a drunk Myrddraal's voice combined with Sevanna's various jewlery clicking together. Egwene had a determined look on her face, as if she would do whatever it took to keep her hands off her ears. That, and to ask Fain some appropriate questions. Not because she needed answers. Light's truth, she already knew them, but to manipulate Fain in such a way as to make sure that what should happen will happen. 

Egwene stayed with him for a few hours. 

Afterwards, he was gibbering like a madman. Not that this was any different than what he was doing before Egwene came to see him, but it is generally acceptable to make people gibber like madmen after a confrontation with who did unpleasant things to them, as in this case, such as giving him a dagger with the tip of the hilt painted ruby-red, and then taking it away. It may have been useless, but still unpleasantly uncomfortable way. She gave him the dagger blade first in his gut, and then Healed him. 

With the dagger still in him.

Egwene could be very cruel when she needed to.

~~~~~~ A Few Days Later ~~~~~~

A horn sounded in the distance. Rand bearly noticed, trying to hit Lan with his practice sword, while staying away from his. When his ears finally nudged his brain, and told it that something significant had just occured, Rand was in the middle of an exchange of blows, which is a bad time to be distracted.

Rand, after getting hit a few times by Lan, decided that he had enough practice for that day, and ran away, causing Lan to stumble a little, before realizing that his opponent was taking the steps down the tower three at a time.

Rand ran to the room he was sharing with Mat and Perrin, which were given to their use by Lord Agelmar. As he expected, it was full of maids emptying their wardrobes of their old clothes, and filling them with higher quality clothing. Without even waiting for them to leave, Rand changed out of his stought, Two-Rivers woolens and into white silk coat and trowsers that Moiraine gave him, and his sword. Along with that he wore a white cloak boardered in gold, anotheg "gift" from Moiraine. On the breast of his cloak, he tied a complicated knot in gold string, and on that he put a blue pin, with the eagle of Manetheren on it. He'd prefer to wear a _cadin'sor_ to show his heritage, but he didn't have one with him. He made a mental note to himself to get one when he finally came into the Aiel Waste.

Leaving a roomful of stunned maids behind him, Rand made his way down to the coartyard where the Amyrlin Seat will be Welcomed to Fal Dara, with a capital W. He waited patiently at the edge of the crowd for the ceremony to finish. The Amyrlin's eyes passed over him once or twice, seemingly without giving him any special attention. Whenever that happened, Rand had a strait face, not giving away anything.

After the Welcoming, Siuan retired to her quarters in the women's apartments. after the crowd had dispersed, Rand walked to the guards that were guarding the entrance of said apartments, and asked to send a messanger to the Amyrlin, asking an audience with her. The guards looked at him skeptically, as if not believing that the most powerful woman on the continent would grant an audience with anyone. 

"If you are really concerned about her not knowing who I am, just tell her my name, Rand al'Thor." Rand reassured them. Even after those convincing words, they guards seemed to hesitate. With a sigh, Rand took hold of _saidin_ and wove Compulsion on them. With a slightly bemused expression, one of the guards told a messanger that High Lord Rand of House al'Thor wished to speak to the Amyrlin Seat. Rand moved to say that he wasn't a bloody lord, but stoped himself. Instead he told the messanger that the Amyrlin would recognize him better if she was told that he was a shepherd. The messanger looked at him through narrowed eyes, but she went anyway.

When she came back, the messanger looked very bewildered. 

"The Amyrlin Seat will grant you an audience right now, m'lord. Before she even rested from the journy." She sounded positivly disaproving of the fact that someone would continue working when they so clearly needed to rest. 

Rand was led through anteroom of the Amyrlin's apartments, and into a grand hall with a throne-like chair at the end, with the Amyrlin sitting in it.

Rand bowed deeply to the Amyrlin, and on his way back up, wove Illusion on the pin on his shirt so that it looked like the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai.

"Your search is over, Mother. I'm here." He told her simply. 


End file.
